14.  Vitel’lius was soon found hidden in an obscure corner, whence he was taken by a party of the conquering soldiers.  Still, however, desirous of adding a few hours to his miserable life, he begged to be kept in prison till the arrival of Vespa’sian at Rome, pretending that he had secrets of importance to discover. 15.  But his entreaties were vain; the soldiers binding his hands behind him, and throwing a halter round his neck, led him along, half naked, into the public forum, loading him with all the bitter reproaches their malice could suggest, or his cruelty might deserve.  At length, being come to the place of punishment, they put him to death with blows:  and then dragging the dead body through the streets with a hook, they threw it, with all possible ignominy, into the river Tiber.

[Sidenote:  A.D. 70.]

16.  Vespa’sian was now declared emperor by the unanimous consent both of the senate and the army; and dignified with all those titles which now followed rather the power than the merit of those who were appointed to govern. 17.  Having continued some months at Alexan’dria, in Egypt, where it is said he cured a blind man and a cripple by touching them, he set out for Rome.  Giving his son, Ti’tus, the command of the army that was to lay siege to Jerusalem, he himself went forward, and was met many miles from Rome by all the senate, and the inhabitants, who gave the sincerest testimony of their joy, in having an emperor of such great and experienced virtue. 18.  Nor did he in the least disappoint their expectations; as he showed himself equally assiduous in rewarding merit and pardoning his adversaries; in reforming the manners of the citizens, and setting them the best example in his own.

19.  In the mean time Titus carried on the war against the Jews with vigour.  This obstinate and infatuated people had long resolved to resist the Roman power, vainly hoping to find protection from heaven, which their impieties had utterly offended. 20.  Their own historian represents them as arrived at the highest pitch of iniquity; while famines, earthquakes, and prodigies, all conspired to forebode their approaching ruin. 21.  Nor was it sufficient that heaven and earth seemed combined against them; they had the most bitter dissensions among themselves, and were divided into two parties, who robbed and destroyed each other with impunity:  constantly pillaging, yet boasting their zeal for the religion of their ancestors.

22.  At the head of one of these parties was an incendiary, whose name was John.  This fanatic affected sovereign power, and filled the whole city of Jeru’salem, and all the towns around, with tumult and pillage.  In a short time a new faction arose, headed by one Si’mon, who, gathering together multitudes of robbers and murderers who had fled to the mountains, attacked many cities and towns, and reduced all Idume’a under his power. 23.  Jeru’salem, at length, became the theatre in which these two demagogues exercised their mutual animosity:  John was possessed of the temple, while Si’mon was admitted into the city; both equally enraged against each other; while slaughter and devastation were the consequence of their pretensions.  Thus did a city formerly celebrated for peace and unity, become the seat of tumult and confusion.